Despite the wonders of NFL ticket, I really was only interested in a few games yesterday. All the games paled in interest when compared to the Jets game. I had looked forward to Chad’s kicking the Jets butts since around Week 10.
So it was mostly a good day for me.
I used to be a Jets fan. That was before the Jets played hardball with one of their best offensive linemen last year. That was before Mangini started testing players on their assignments during the week. That was before Tannenbaum finally acquired some really good free agents - guys who would finally make it possible for the loyal Pennington to lead the Jets into the playoffs.
Then in the Jets’ infinite wisdom, they acquired Favre. They held Pennington in such low regard that they just gave him his release. Parcells got him.
At that moment I became a Dolphins fan. Not a diehard Fish enthusiast certainly, but someone who kept an eye on what the men in those crazy teal and orange and white uniforms were doing each week.
And they did mostly good things, smart things. They got Joey Porter and Ricky Williams, and they took a chance on a hard-working coach from Connecticut. They beat the tar out of the Patriots by pulling out their Wildcat, and I watched with glee as the Pats were swiping mostly at air all afternoon.
So it was great watching Favre be himself yesterday and throw INT after INT --and Pennington be himself by throwing two TD’s and no interceptions. What can you say? They needed to win but the Jets lost again. I totally expected it. I anticipated the interceptions and reveled in Chad Pennington’s performance. I enjoyed watching the Fish run their Wildcat again and again against a Jets defense that looked slow and confused. And leaderless.
And now Mangini has been fired. So now the Jets can move forward again. They can start over with a new head coach, and hopefully new coaches. They certainly need a different scheme on defense. It doesn’t seem to work. There’s never any real pressure on the opposing qb’s, something that so many other good teams do successfully. The team just looked totally lifeless. Maybe it was Favre’s ridiculously low-key televised “pep talk” to the team.
It’s probably the best thing for Mangini at this stage of his career. Maybe he went too far too fast. The speed of the firing makes me think Mangini knew he had to win that last game in order to be retained. His physical reactions at his last press conference would seem to confirm that, or at least a suspicion of that.
I wonder now if pulling the plug so quickly on Mangini will save Tannenbaum his job. Somebody should pay for dumping Pennington so unceremoniously, and worse, from a business standpoint, giving him away.
But Tannenbaum has made some good moves too, though. Sure - he had Woody’s budget, but at least he recognized where his team needed help. Most of his moves were more positive than negative. The offensive line moves and the linebacker move he made worked out, by all accounts, so he must be doing some things right. And Jenkins helped them until mid-season. QB is a big place to make a mistake though. Geez.
Maybe I can even become a fan again, but it’ll be tough if Favre’s still the quarterback. They at least have to start developing somebody else long-term, somebody in addition to Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff, somebody who has a reasonable expectation of succeeding.
With or without Favre, the Jets have problems. The Dolphins certainly had their problems last year. But the good leaders found answers for them all. They got people with character. Sparano, Pennington, Porter, and even a kid from Jersey named Fasano.
But a team has no chance without good leadership…..any team. That was obvious in Philadelphia yesterday as the Cowboys got mutilated by the Eagles. It was “Fly, Eagles, Fly” time in Cheesesteak-land. Dallas seems to need some leadership skills too, somewhere. Could Tony Romo alone be the cause of such ineptitude?
Romo looked bad yesterday, bad enough to really warrant a re-inspection of their quarterback position. His fling down the sideline was so poorly thrown and so ill-advised that it made the whole team sick, I think. They lost heart….and then continued to lose heart. What a beating!
Wade Phillips will be kept, according to Jerry Jones’s first remarks after the loss. He sounds as if he’s tired of blaming coaches. I think he should reexamine his position. Wade seems to be another non-starter as a leader, maybe Romo too, but I think there’s still a lot of hope for him.
In a way, Romo’s biggest problem is his elusiveness. He holds the ball too long. He always needs a checkdown guy, but there weren’t any in sight yesterday.
Jones needs to get some guys without character issues too. T.O. wouldn’t be my team’s spokesman. I know he loves it but get a grip, Jerry. Stop picking up big names; they don’t always have big games.
It’s almost unbelievable what the Dolphins have accomplished. Now that situation just reeks of leadership. Sound operations from the top brought a good, maybe great, head coach. His guys played motivated in every game. They were good defensively and good enough on offense. Everything was balanced. Everything seemed well-organized, even when they ran a wildly-imaginative offense nobody had used for a long long time, maybe never.
So leadership seems to mean a lot. A new head coach in New York, even with total uncertainty at the most important football position, quarterback, will be a good start.
They need somebody who’s coached before, somebody who can handle people and be pretty good as a bench coach too, somebody with honest-to-God football instincts who can inspire a good performance or at least an honest one. It’s a tough game and you need tough people at the top.
Let’s go Jets.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Twas the Night Before.....
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the night
New York teams played football - just one was uptight
The Giants were golden, but the Jets had a care
The Dolphins would soon kick some butt in their lair.
The Giants were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of Super Bowl danced in their heads
Coughlin full of mischief, a bye in his lap
The Vikings were next, but who gave a crap?
Mangini aloof, his season in tatters
He only sees red when his quarterback shatters
His game plan, his processes, all just a mash
His free agents butter, but they’d get their cash.
His team had collapsed on the new-fallen snow
Seattle had proven his receivers slow
Then what to his wondering eyes should appear
The Fish on the schedule, good reason to fear.
That his fickle old driver, once lively and quick
To capture a moment would soon make him sick
His punter not Feagles, his offense so lame
He bristled to think he’d have no one to blame.
Not Bret Favre the Dancer !
He’d sure get his licks in
As fast if not faster
Than Domenick Hixon!
From the podium porch
With his back to the wall
He’d trash away, trash away
Trash away all!
Dry heaves Eric conquered, his stomach a tie
He worked on his game plan, the old college try
His charges, he knew that they’d soon need a clue
When the Dolphins arrived, and Chad Pennington too!
Oh how, in a twinkling, as if Chad needed proof
That Tanenbaum chose to remain quite aloof
Chad managed to turn a lost franchise around
No dummy, the Tuna, he knew what he found.
Dressed orange-blue-green from his head to his foot
Field leader untarnished with ashes and soot
A team full of rookies he flung on his back
Game manager sound, he’d soon get them on track!
His eyes--how they twinkled ! His dimples, how merry !
To leave in his wake, a wideout named Cotcherry
As he went down South, he surely would know
That team managed down in Miami did not blow
In Ron Brown was someone to kick in your teeth
And Ricky, he’d circle the field like a wreath
And if that wasn't reason to turn on the telly
He'd throw to Fasano to make you look smelly!
NOT chubby or plump, a right scary young elf
Not arrogant either, played within himself
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Let all the Fish know they had nothing to dread!
Jets hopes of the finals may turn on his work
If he makes Mangini look like a jerk
Through Ronnie and Ricky his offense it flows
Sparano and Parcells, they smell like a rose!
How good would it play, if Chad lets go a missile
The TD to win, sweet as down on a thistle
And we hear Chad exclaim as he gets on his flight
“HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT ! "
New York teams played football - just one was uptight
The Giants were golden, but the Jets had a care
The Dolphins would soon kick some butt in their lair.
The Giants were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of Super Bowl danced in their heads
Coughlin full of mischief, a bye in his lap
The Vikings were next, but who gave a crap?
Mangini aloof, his season in tatters
He only sees red when his quarterback shatters
His game plan, his processes, all just a mash
His free agents butter, but they’d get their cash.
His team had collapsed on the new-fallen snow
Seattle had proven his receivers slow
Then what to his wondering eyes should appear
The Fish on the schedule, good reason to fear.
That his fickle old driver, once lively and quick
To capture a moment would soon make him sick
His punter not Feagles, his offense so lame
He bristled to think he’d have no one to blame.
Not Bret Favre the Dancer !
He’d sure get his licks in
As fast if not faster
Than Domenick Hixon!
From the podium porch
With his back to the wall
He’d trash away, trash away
Trash away all!
Dry heaves Eric conquered, his stomach a tie
He worked on his game plan, the old college try
His charges, he knew that they’d soon need a clue
When the Dolphins arrived, and Chad Pennington too!
Oh how, in a twinkling, as if Chad needed proof
That Tanenbaum chose to remain quite aloof
Chad managed to turn a lost franchise around
No dummy, the Tuna, he knew what he found.
Dressed orange-blue-green from his head to his foot
Field leader untarnished with ashes and soot
A team full of rookies he flung on his back
Game manager sound, he’d soon get them on track!
His eyes--how they twinkled ! His dimples, how merry !
To leave in his wake, a wideout named Cotcherry
As he went down South, he surely would know
That team managed down in Miami did not blow
In Ron Brown was someone to kick in your teeth
And Ricky, he’d circle the field like a wreath
And if that wasn't reason to turn on the telly
He'd throw to Fasano to make you look smelly!
NOT chubby or plump, a right scary young elf
Not arrogant either, played within himself
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Let all the Fish know they had nothing to dread!
Jets hopes of the finals may turn on his work
If he makes Mangini look like a jerk
Through Ronnie and Ricky his offense it flows
Sparano and Parcells, they smell like a rose!
How good would it play, if Chad lets go a missile
The TD to win, sweet as down on a thistle
And we hear Chad exclaim as he gets on his flight
“HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT ! "
Friday, December 19, 2008
Super Bowl Scenarios
Technology is good for some things, not many but some. One of those good things is the Yahoo Scenario Generator for the NFL Playoffs. By simply selecting your choice for the winner of each game in Week 16 and Week 17, you get to see its corresponding effect on the playoffs picture.
There are so many different scenarios that it really defies explanation. But by actually seeing the picture change, things become more easily visualized. One thing that became very clear is that, even if the Jets beat Seattle on Sunday, if they should lose to Miami in Week 17, the Jets will be eliminated.
That’s as it should be, I think. If you have to really worry that Seattle will beat them, 3 and 11 Seattle, what chances would they really have against a good team? How exciting would it be to see them smashed in the first round?
Whatever your fan base affiliation, you have to like the upcoming end of the season. A few scenarios yield pleasant surprises. The Eagles, the Bears and even the Falcons could wind up playoffs-bound, McNabb and Forte and Matt Ryan could get their shots, but I don’t expect it.
In the NFC, only the Redskins, Packers, Lions(ho-hum), Saints, and ¾ of the NFC West are out of it. And the games coming up this weekend are terrific matchups, starting on Saturday night with the Ravens-Cowboys matchup, a battle that I expect the Cowboys to win.
In the NFC, my scenario turned out Carolina and the Giants as the 1 and 2 seeds, in that order unfortunately, and then had the Bucs playing the Vikings in Minnesota. The Cowboys would then face the Cardinals in Arizona.
In the AFC, the Steelers and the Titans would get the byes, while the Pats would face the Fish at Miami. In the other wildcard game, the Colts would face the Broncos in Denver.
Taking these predictions a little further, I can’t believe the Vikings would get by the Gruden-led Bucs, no matter that they’d be playing in Minnesota. The Bucs will stop Adrian Peterson, and then squash either Frerotte or Tarvaris Jackson. There’s almost no way the Cards could beat the Cowboys. You could make them play naked in the desert and the Cards would be folded. Bent and mutilated too.
So it’ll be Carolina vs. the lowest seed, Dallas, while the G-Men would face the Bucs again, as they did last year, at Giants Stadium this time. No doubt, there would be the same result.
I do think the Cowboys, who will have been on quite a run by this time, will beat the Panthers, even in Carolina where the Panthers have been dominant. The Boyz are a different team with Romo.
Those results would yield another Cowboys-Giants NFC Championship game at Giants Stadium. I won’t predict the winner of that war at this time. I’ll have to see the manner in which the G-Men play the Panthers this Sunday at home.
I don’t expect them to beat the Panthers this weekend. Yes, Jacobs is back but I’m not convinced that he’ll be all the difference, especially if the Giants offensive line remains banged up. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers running tandem of Williams and Stewart will be enough to keep the Giants off the field for long stretches. Eli hasn’t been super in those scenarios. It’ll be a low-scoring game, a real defensive struggle, and I expect to see quite a few field goals. Call it 19-17 Panthers.
I do expect the G-Men will take the measure of the Vikings in Week 17 though, especially after the indignity of losing their 1 seed at home the previous week. They’ll be ferocious at Minnesota. While they’ll have trouble offensively, they’ll stop the big guy Peterson and make mincemeat of Tarvaris Jackson.
In the AFC, Tennessee just lost the toughest, scariest defensive lineman in the entire league, Al Haynesworth. And VandenBosch is hurt too. Depending on their recoveries, the Steelers definitely become the favorites to make the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are banged up too, but not enough to lose to the Dolphins in Miami in the first wildcard game. The Dolphins will have spent a lot of their energies beating the Jets in the final week while the Patriots will have been coming off easy wins against the defenseless Cards and the coachless Bills.
The Colts should beat the Broncos in Denver but I wouldn’t bet on it, not the way they played last night against the Jaguars. Their running game is very suspect and, in a shootout of a game, I could definitely see the Broncos play inspired ball at home, especially if it snows.
The Broncos have shown progress on defense, and they have the strongest arm in the league in Jay Cutler, the scariest wide receiver in Brandon Marshall. They have good tight ends and are even showing signs of running the ball, be it Pope or Bell or any number of other guys, Young, Hillis et al. The Colts have trouble with any kind of determined running game.
A Broncos win would inject some life into the playoffs. The Steelers and Titans just aren’t that exciting, especially the Titans. The Steelers at least have Big Ben, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to complement a GREAT defense.
The Pats would face the Steelers in Pittsburgh after the Pats vanquish the Dolphins. This game should be another wipeout of the Patriots, something I always long to see. The Steelers have already crushed the Pats in Foxboro, 33-10.
The Broncos would then face the Titans in Tennessee. I’d expect the Titans to take them, especially after the Broncos great effort the previous week. But if the Broncos can stop the run, anything’s possible.
The Titans or Broncos would then lose to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Black and Gold would advance, just too much Palamalu and defense.
So it’ll be the Steelers vs. Dallas or New York. Stay tuned.
There are so many different scenarios that it really defies explanation. But by actually seeing the picture change, things become more easily visualized. One thing that became very clear is that, even if the Jets beat Seattle on Sunday, if they should lose to Miami in Week 17, the Jets will be eliminated.
That’s as it should be, I think. If you have to really worry that Seattle will beat them, 3 and 11 Seattle, what chances would they really have against a good team? How exciting would it be to see them smashed in the first round?
Whatever your fan base affiliation, you have to like the upcoming end of the season. A few scenarios yield pleasant surprises. The Eagles, the Bears and even the Falcons could wind up playoffs-bound, McNabb and Forte and Matt Ryan could get their shots, but I don’t expect it.
In the NFC, only the Redskins, Packers, Lions(ho-hum), Saints, and ¾ of the NFC West are out of it. And the games coming up this weekend are terrific matchups, starting on Saturday night with the Ravens-Cowboys matchup, a battle that I expect the Cowboys to win.
In the NFC, my scenario turned out Carolina and the Giants as the 1 and 2 seeds, in that order unfortunately, and then had the Bucs playing the Vikings in Minnesota. The Cowboys would then face the Cardinals in Arizona.
In the AFC, the Steelers and the Titans would get the byes, while the Pats would face the Fish at Miami. In the other wildcard game, the Colts would face the Broncos in Denver.
Taking these predictions a little further, I can’t believe the Vikings would get by the Gruden-led Bucs, no matter that they’d be playing in Minnesota. The Bucs will stop Adrian Peterson, and then squash either Frerotte or Tarvaris Jackson. There’s almost no way the Cards could beat the Cowboys. You could make them play naked in the desert and the Cards would be folded. Bent and mutilated too.
So it’ll be Carolina vs. the lowest seed, Dallas, while the G-Men would face the Bucs again, as they did last year, at Giants Stadium this time. No doubt, there would be the same result.
I do think the Cowboys, who will have been on quite a run by this time, will beat the Panthers, even in Carolina where the Panthers have been dominant. The Boyz are a different team with Romo.
Those results would yield another Cowboys-Giants NFC Championship game at Giants Stadium. I won’t predict the winner of that war at this time. I’ll have to see the manner in which the G-Men play the Panthers this Sunday at home.
I don’t expect them to beat the Panthers this weekend. Yes, Jacobs is back but I’m not convinced that he’ll be all the difference, especially if the Giants offensive line remains banged up. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers running tandem of Williams and Stewart will be enough to keep the Giants off the field for long stretches. Eli hasn’t been super in those scenarios. It’ll be a low-scoring game, a real defensive struggle, and I expect to see quite a few field goals. Call it 19-17 Panthers.
I do expect the G-Men will take the measure of the Vikings in Week 17 though, especially after the indignity of losing their 1 seed at home the previous week. They’ll be ferocious at Minnesota. While they’ll have trouble offensively, they’ll stop the big guy Peterson and make mincemeat of Tarvaris Jackson.
In the AFC, Tennessee just lost the toughest, scariest defensive lineman in the entire league, Al Haynesworth. And VandenBosch is hurt too. Depending on their recoveries, the Steelers definitely become the favorites to make the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are banged up too, but not enough to lose to the Dolphins in Miami in the first wildcard game. The Dolphins will have spent a lot of their energies beating the Jets in the final week while the Patriots will have been coming off easy wins against the defenseless Cards and the coachless Bills.
The Colts should beat the Broncos in Denver but I wouldn’t bet on it, not the way they played last night against the Jaguars. Their running game is very suspect and, in a shootout of a game, I could definitely see the Broncos play inspired ball at home, especially if it snows.
The Broncos have shown progress on defense, and they have the strongest arm in the league in Jay Cutler, the scariest wide receiver in Brandon Marshall. They have good tight ends and are even showing signs of running the ball, be it Pope or Bell or any number of other guys, Young, Hillis et al. The Colts have trouble with any kind of determined running game.
A Broncos win would inject some life into the playoffs. The Steelers and Titans just aren’t that exciting, especially the Titans. The Steelers at least have Big Ben, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to complement a GREAT defense.
The Pats would face the Steelers in Pittsburgh after the Pats vanquish the Dolphins. This game should be another wipeout of the Patriots, something I always long to see. The Steelers have already crushed the Pats in Foxboro, 33-10.
The Broncos would then face the Titans in Tennessee. I’d expect the Titans to take them, especially after the Broncos great effort the previous week. But if the Broncos can stop the run, anything’s possible.
The Titans or Broncos would then lose to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Black and Gold would advance, just too much Palamalu and defense.
So it’ll be the Steelers vs. Dallas or New York. Stay tuned.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Coming Back to Earth
Maybe it was the prowess of the Cowboys defensive front that made the G-Men look so impotent last night. Maybe it was the Dallas secondary that blanketed the Plax-less Giants receiving corps. Maybe it was Tony Romo’s toughness and leadership that inspired great Cowboys performances all over the field. Maybe it was the elusiveness and power of Cowboys RB Tashard Choice.
Whatever “it” was, the Giants sure looked toothless last night. The 20-8 final score didn’t seem to adequately characterize just how decisively the Giants were beaten. Wind and fire became a puff and a spark; they were nothing without “Earth”, or maybe it was just the lack of an offensive line.
And yet, the Giants were really never out of it, not until the fourth quarter draw play to Choice out of the shotgun that put the contest out of reach. These Giants are nothing if not resilient, even without Plaxico, even without Brandon Jacobs, and last night without one of their fine defensive tackles.
So, despite the loss last night, the Giants are still in pretty good shape. That team that was running around last night wasn’t the real Giants team, not without their best receiver, their best running back and one of their best defensive linemen.
The G-Men finish with a contest against a Carolina team that has lately been playing as if it thinks it’s the best team in the NFC, followed by a contest against another tough defensive team, the Minnesota Vikings.
They won’t beat either of those teams if nothing changes. Forget about Burress, he’s been suspended and it just won’t do to keep harping on the fact. But Jacobs and Fred Robbins in the middle of that defense are both too big and strong bodies that are hard to not miss.
But, whether or not these two giant Giants can return, I think the G-Men should consider moving Hixon back to his specialty, returning kicks. Although he’s an adequate receiver, he’s not an imposing threat at wide receiver. He is an imposing threat as a return man. In moving Hixon, the Giants lose at two aspects of their game, special teams and their passing offense.
It’s high time to try somebody else at the wideout. Maybe it’s Manningham, maybe it’s Sinorice Moss, but it’s definitely not Hixon. Although the passing offense might suffer somewhat in that scenario, it should put a charge back into their kick returns, which have had nothing without Hixon.
You have to admire the Giants for keeping it close last night. They showed their true character. The same can be said for the Jets Sunday afternoon, as they overcame their deficiencies all afternoon by capitalizing on a stupid move by Bills coach Dick Jauron.
Jauron, doing his best Herm Edwards impersonation, called for a pass in a clear running situation. The game should have been over. But the Jets did what they had to do, stripping QB J.P. Losman of the ball, scooping it up and running it in for the winning score.
A win is a win. But you have to think the Jets have their work cut out for them. They play Seattle next week, a weak team, but as the Jets have proven they don’t travel well to the West Coast, having already lost to the Chargers, Raiders and Niners on the road, nothing is a sure thing.
If they do get by Seattle, and I think they will, they’ll then face the Miami Dolphins and Chad Pennington in the season finale. That should be great! If the Fish can beat the Bills next week, everything sets up perfectly for a game that will not only decide the AFC East, but one that will determine whether the Jets erred in their quarterback selection process for 2008.
It goes without saying that I wish the Jets had kept Pennington. He was a club leader and he never complained, despite a lack of protection and a lack of skills at the receiver position, which is still a problem. Neither Coles nor Cotchery have the speed to stretch the field, nor do they have the best hands, nor do they ever get much separation anywhere. Other than that, they’re fine.
Favre usually does have time to throw though, something Pennington never had. He has a defense that can usually stop the run as well, if not yesterday. The Jets let the Bills backs, Marshawn Lynch and even Fred Jackson, run over, around and through them to take the lead into the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
As strange as it seems, the Jets finally focused on stopping the pass against a Bills team that can’t pass that well, a team that ranked 19th in passing in the NFL. They hadn’t been that good at running either, ranking 15th in rushing, but yesterday managed about 185 yards against the men in the ugly green uniforms.
But the Jets did win the game. It’s difficult to say they’ll come back to earth, though. They were never that far removed from earth in the first place, although they were the first team to beat the Titans from Tennessee in very impressive fashion,
There is hope for the Jets though. They have a great running attack with Thomas Jones running behind that improved offensive line. They can pass the ball too, but not with authority, nothing that would scare opposing defenses. So those smart opponents will plan their strategies for stopping the running game.
There are bright spots though. For the Jets, there is Leon Washington. He added another long TD run to his already impressive resume by exploiting a seam in the Bills defensive middle on his way to a 47-yard score that put the Jets ahead 21-17 right before the half. If not for Leon, the Jets season may have already come back to earth.
The Giants can look forward to “Earth” coming back, either that or some extensive tweaking to a pretty moribund offense, one that just can’t score.
Whatever “it” was, the Giants sure looked toothless last night. The 20-8 final score didn’t seem to adequately characterize just how decisively the Giants were beaten. Wind and fire became a puff and a spark; they were nothing without “Earth”, or maybe it was just the lack of an offensive line.
And yet, the Giants were really never out of it, not until the fourth quarter draw play to Choice out of the shotgun that put the contest out of reach. These Giants are nothing if not resilient, even without Plaxico, even without Brandon Jacobs, and last night without one of their fine defensive tackles.
So, despite the loss last night, the Giants are still in pretty good shape. That team that was running around last night wasn’t the real Giants team, not without their best receiver, their best running back and one of their best defensive linemen.
The G-Men finish with a contest against a Carolina team that has lately been playing as if it thinks it’s the best team in the NFC, followed by a contest against another tough defensive team, the Minnesota Vikings.
They won’t beat either of those teams if nothing changes. Forget about Burress, he’s been suspended and it just won’t do to keep harping on the fact. But Jacobs and Fred Robbins in the middle of that defense are both too big and strong bodies that are hard to not miss.
But, whether or not these two giant Giants can return, I think the G-Men should consider moving Hixon back to his specialty, returning kicks. Although he’s an adequate receiver, he’s not an imposing threat at wide receiver. He is an imposing threat as a return man. In moving Hixon, the Giants lose at two aspects of their game, special teams and their passing offense.
It’s high time to try somebody else at the wideout. Maybe it’s Manningham, maybe it’s Sinorice Moss, but it’s definitely not Hixon. Although the passing offense might suffer somewhat in that scenario, it should put a charge back into their kick returns, which have had nothing without Hixon.
You have to admire the Giants for keeping it close last night. They showed their true character. The same can be said for the Jets Sunday afternoon, as they overcame their deficiencies all afternoon by capitalizing on a stupid move by Bills coach Dick Jauron.
Jauron, doing his best Herm Edwards impersonation, called for a pass in a clear running situation. The game should have been over. But the Jets did what they had to do, stripping QB J.P. Losman of the ball, scooping it up and running it in for the winning score.
A win is a win. But you have to think the Jets have their work cut out for them. They play Seattle next week, a weak team, but as the Jets have proven they don’t travel well to the West Coast, having already lost to the Chargers, Raiders and Niners on the road, nothing is a sure thing.
If they do get by Seattle, and I think they will, they’ll then face the Miami Dolphins and Chad Pennington in the season finale. That should be great! If the Fish can beat the Bills next week, everything sets up perfectly for a game that will not only decide the AFC East, but one that will determine whether the Jets erred in their quarterback selection process for 2008.
It goes without saying that I wish the Jets had kept Pennington. He was a club leader and he never complained, despite a lack of protection and a lack of skills at the receiver position, which is still a problem. Neither Coles nor Cotchery have the speed to stretch the field, nor do they have the best hands, nor do they ever get much separation anywhere. Other than that, they’re fine.
Favre usually does have time to throw though, something Pennington never had. He has a defense that can usually stop the run as well, if not yesterday. The Jets let the Bills backs, Marshawn Lynch and even Fred Jackson, run over, around and through them to take the lead into the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
As strange as it seems, the Jets finally focused on stopping the pass against a Bills team that can’t pass that well, a team that ranked 19th in passing in the NFL. They hadn’t been that good at running either, ranking 15th in rushing, but yesterday managed about 185 yards against the men in the ugly green uniforms.
But the Jets did win the game. It’s difficult to say they’ll come back to earth, though. They were never that far removed from earth in the first place, although they were the first team to beat the Titans from Tennessee in very impressive fashion,
There is hope for the Jets though. They have a great running attack with Thomas Jones running behind that improved offensive line. They can pass the ball too, but not with authority, nothing that would scare opposing defenses. So those smart opponents will plan their strategies for stopping the running game.
There are bright spots though. For the Jets, there is Leon Washington. He added another long TD run to his already impressive resume by exploiting a seam in the Bills defensive middle on his way to a 47-yard score that put the Jets ahead 21-17 right before the half. If not for Leon, the Jets season may have already come back to earth.
The Giants can look forward to “Earth” coming back, either that or some extensive tweaking to a pretty moribund offense, one that just can’t score.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
CC and JJ WooHoo!!
Wow! Bang! In comes K-Rod
Whoosh! In comes J.J. Putz, out goes Heilman.
Sitting here listening to Darryl Strawberry talking on the FAN with Francesa about his years with the ’86 World Champions New York Mets, and still basking in the knowledge that we’ll have some real relievers next year, what could be better?
Uh-oh, now he’s re-living his Yankees Days. Geez, even that’s OK now. Now that Omar and the Mets have done such a sterling job of operationalizing their priorities. The Yanks pay 61 mill for C.C and we get K-Rod for beans, relatively speaking, of course.
Then we get JJ Putz from Seattle, one of the premier relievers in the league for at least a few years now for Aaron Heilman and Endy Chavez. Some minor league players were also involved, but the crux of the deal is Putz for Chavez, Heilman and Joe Smith, who actually will wind up with the Indians. A lefthanded pitcher named Jason Vargas, who was hurt for all of last year, was also included in the deal.
The Mets also get a pretty fair right-handed middle-inning reliever named Sean Green, who may be better than anyone the Mets now have in that role. A utility outfielder named Jeremy Reed completes the 12-player mass juggle. The Mets are probably ten to 15 games better than they were last year, and that may be conservative if everyone stays healthy.
I don’t like some aspects of the huge trade, such as letting Joe Smith go. He was a tough pitcher in certain spots last year, and you had an overall good feeling about him. Sure, he may have messed up some, they all did, but not in the spots that Heilman did. Oh God, don’t make me re-live that all over again!
I understand they’ll be talking to Pedro again. While I don’t think they’ll work anything out with Mr. Martinez, I do relish the thought, just for fun rather than effectiveness necessarily.
And I hope they’ll get the crazy left-hander back too, Oliver Perez. If they can retain him for less than they can get for a free agent starter of the same quality, why not keep him? He’s at his best in big games, and more than ever, it looks as if the Mets may have some of those in 2009.
Just accomplishing this much would yield a starting rotation of Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Pedro Martinez. Another lefthander with possibilities named Jonathon Niese makes for a pretty fair rotation. Compare it to that of the World Champ Phillies.
Maine and Pelfrey should be better than last year. So should Pedro, for that matter. If Santana can hold his form, what a year it could be. I’m sure crazy Ollie would provide some unwanted adventure, and Pedro usually provides just five or six good innings at this stage of his career, but three of five starters would be pretty consistent, providing mostly routine quality starts.
So there’d be quite a few instances of a need for good relief pitching with that rotation. But now the Mets have it. If they can just get to the eighth inning, they now have the best finishing tandem in either league, JJ Putz in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.
With a finishing tandem such as that, the Mets really don’t need to do more in the pitching area than to just keep Perez and Pedro. They’d keep some of that crazy chemistry too. The lineup they have is strong enough to score runs, and that’s just by keeping the other Reyes (Argenis) at 2nd base and the Murphy/Evans combo in left field.
Keeping Damien Easley would be fine, and Fernando Tatis was no slouch either last year. Otherwise, I’d be happy with Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Murphy or Evans and Schneider/Castro.
The Yanks are talking with a lot of guys. They need a lot of guys. And maybe they’ll watch Teixeira go to Boston. Oh man! How good does it get? Imagine the joy of watching Teixeira hit 30 and 100 and lead the Sawx to one more title. Meanwhile, we Mets fans got what we needed all year.
The Yankees are figuring, I guess, they can throw just anybody into the first base position. Giambi, Damon, whatever…and I suppose they’re not that crazy about Bobby Abreu, which is hard to believe really, given that he hits .300 every year.
If I were a Yankee fan, I’d be worried big-time. Sabathia has always been one of my favorite fantasy-league pitchers and he’s been great, but he tends to start the season slowly and that just won’t do in the big town. He’ll be vilified on the rags’ back pages at least a few times before the beginning of June. How will that affect an easy-going guy?
Does trading Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera really accomplish that much? For all anyone knows, Melky could come back from his down season, and he was never bad in that centerfield spot. It was his lack of presence in the lineup that was frustrating. Cameron has more power but he strikes out……a lot.
Maybe they’ll have some bulletins during the football game tonight letting us know what other moves the Yanks may be making. God knows they still need some pitching. C.C. may be able to pitch with three days rest but not even the big guy can pitch every day.
The Yanks too are allegedly bidding against the Phils for Derek Lowe. That would be just fine for Mets fans, robbing the Phillies of still another weapon that would soon turn on our boys in blue. Go get ‘em, Cash….
Anything can happen in baseball, of course. As Yogi was supposed to have said one day, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over” but Mets fans are a lot further along than they were a couple of days ago. That’s for sure. The beginning of the beginning is looking very good indeed.
Whoosh! In comes J.J. Putz, out goes Heilman.
Sitting here listening to Darryl Strawberry talking on the FAN with Francesa about his years with the ’86 World Champions New York Mets, and still basking in the knowledge that we’ll have some real relievers next year, what could be better?
Uh-oh, now he’s re-living his Yankees Days. Geez, even that’s OK now. Now that Omar and the Mets have done such a sterling job of operationalizing their priorities. The Yanks pay 61 mill for C.C and we get K-Rod for beans, relatively speaking, of course.
Then we get JJ Putz from Seattle, one of the premier relievers in the league for at least a few years now for Aaron Heilman and Endy Chavez. Some minor league players were also involved, but the crux of the deal is Putz for Chavez, Heilman and Joe Smith, who actually will wind up with the Indians. A lefthanded pitcher named Jason Vargas, who was hurt for all of last year, was also included in the deal.
The Mets also get a pretty fair right-handed middle-inning reliever named Sean Green, who may be better than anyone the Mets now have in that role. A utility outfielder named Jeremy Reed completes the 12-player mass juggle. The Mets are probably ten to 15 games better than they were last year, and that may be conservative if everyone stays healthy.
I don’t like some aspects of the huge trade, such as letting Joe Smith go. He was a tough pitcher in certain spots last year, and you had an overall good feeling about him. Sure, he may have messed up some, they all did, but not in the spots that Heilman did. Oh God, don’t make me re-live that all over again!
I understand they’ll be talking to Pedro again. While I don’t think they’ll work anything out with Mr. Martinez, I do relish the thought, just for fun rather than effectiveness necessarily.
And I hope they’ll get the crazy left-hander back too, Oliver Perez. If they can retain him for less than they can get for a free agent starter of the same quality, why not keep him? He’s at his best in big games, and more than ever, it looks as if the Mets may have some of those in 2009.
Just accomplishing this much would yield a starting rotation of Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Pedro Martinez. Another lefthander with possibilities named Jonathon Niese makes for a pretty fair rotation. Compare it to that of the World Champ Phillies.
Maine and Pelfrey should be better than last year. So should Pedro, for that matter. If Santana can hold his form, what a year it could be. I’m sure crazy Ollie would provide some unwanted adventure, and Pedro usually provides just five or six good innings at this stage of his career, but three of five starters would be pretty consistent, providing mostly routine quality starts.
So there’d be quite a few instances of a need for good relief pitching with that rotation. But now the Mets have it. If they can just get to the eighth inning, they now have the best finishing tandem in either league, JJ Putz in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.
With a finishing tandem such as that, the Mets really don’t need to do more in the pitching area than to just keep Perez and Pedro. They’d keep some of that crazy chemistry too. The lineup they have is strong enough to score runs, and that’s just by keeping the other Reyes (Argenis) at 2nd base and the Murphy/Evans combo in left field.
Keeping Damien Easley would be fine, and Fernando Tatis was no slouch either last year. Otherwise, I’d be happy with Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Murphy or Evans and Schneider/Castro.
The Yanks are talking with a lot of guys. They need a lot of guys. And maybe they’ll watch Teixeira go to Boston. Oh man! How good does it get? Imagine the joy of watching Teixeira hit 30 and 100 and lead the Sawx to one more title. Meanwhile, we Mets fans got what we needed all year.
The Yankees are figuring, I guess, they can throw just anybody into the first base position. Giambi, Damon, whatever…and I suppose they’re not that crazy about Bobby Abreu, which is hard to believe really, given that he hits .300 every year.
If I were a Yankee fan, I’d be worried big-time. Sabathia has always been one of my favorite fantasy-league pitchers and he’s been great, but he tends to start the season slowly and that just won’t do in the big town. He’ll be vilified on the rags’ back pages at least a few times before the beginning of June. How will that affect an easy-going guy?
Does trading Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera really accomplish that much? For all anyone knows, Melky could come back from his down season, and he was never bad in that centerfield spot. It was his lack of presence in the lineup that was frustrating. Cameron has more power but he strikes out……a lot.
Maybe they’ll have some bulletins during the football game tonight letting us know what other moves the Yanks may be making. God knows they still need some pitching. C.C. may be able to pitch with three days rest but not even the big guy can pitch every day.
The Yanks too are allegedly bidding against the Phils for Derek Lowe. That would be just fine for Mets fans, robbing the Phillies of still another weapon that would soon turn on our boys in blue. Go get ‘em, Cash….
Anything can happen in baseball, of course. As Yogi was supposed to have said one day, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over” but Mets fans are a lot further along than they were a couple of days ago. That’s for sure. The beginning of the beginning is looking very good indeed.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
In My Mind I'm Goin' to Carolina
Was there ever anything so old as an old running back? As I watched the Panther running backs, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, run roughshod over the poor, defenseless Bucs last night, I was able to appreciate the difference between some of these older backs, the Jamal Lewises and Freddie Taylors of the world, and the new breed of lightning fast, turn-on-a-dime, fake you out of your jock variety of back.
They made Ronde Barber look like an old plodder, on both sides of the field, and, if the thought of retirement had never occurred to him before, I’m sure last night he may have had his first. Both these fine young Carolina running backs made cuts that shouldn’t even be possible at the speed they were going.
I never really like to get into stats, you can read that anywhere, but these two romped for an average of seven yards per carry. Both of them. Most of it was done on their own. But that, I think, may be the key to controlling them. Don’t let them be on their own. That they made it that far, one-on-one with only a scared cornerback between them and paydirt, was the big mistake.
Our Giants may have some trouble on their hands, even with a healthy Brandon Jacobs and a Plaxico look-alike who can actually catch the friggin’ football. Because, even if they take the measure of everyone else in the league, they’ll still probably find Carolina at the end of the line, that line that separates the also-ran from the Super Bowl.
But there is hope. The Giants front seven is tougher and faster than that of the Bucs. They should make it tougher to find a seam, or to get around the end. They have some pretty tough tacklers in the secondary too, but I wouldn’t want to see them put to the test.
The really scary thing about the Panthers is that they can pass the ball too. Even with a not totally healthy Jake Delhomme, that Delhomme to Steve Smith combination is tough, very tough, and they’ve connected way too many times for any team facing them to think that they could maybe put eight men in the box. Smith would certainly demand double coverage, practically all the time.
And, oh yeah, the Panthers play pretty good defense too. They have the freaky Julius Peppers to deal with on their defensive line, and the other guys are no picnic either. Their defense is kind of suspect, though, as a few teams have discovered this year, but only those teams with strong running games themselves, and teams that could stop the run.
I’m speaking of Minnesota, who held them to ten points in a 20-10 win, and Atlanta, when Michael Turner lit them up for four big touchdowns in a wild 45-28 win. Their other loss was to the same Tampa team they dismantled tonight. That game was in Tampa and they were held to three points. The Bucs held both Panther running backs to a little over two yards per carry in that one, and there just weren’t that many carries, as the Panthers fell behind and had to pass. Delhomme was intercepted three times in that endeavor.
So, the key to beating them would seem to be to take an early lead, pound the ball at their defense, and stop their running game early. The Giants should be capable of that, but only if Jacobs comes back healthy, and Hixon starts catching the ball. Aside from the “x” in both their names, there just doesn’t appear to be that much similarity in their games.
All of this, of course, is looking way ahead, even though there are only three games left. The G-Men have to face the surprisingly tough Cowboys this week, and the Boyz may find the G-Men a soft touch after having to face the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Romo was running for his life most of the time, and I just haven’t seen that kind of pressure exerted by the Giants this year.
As the Cowboys have to win out to make the playoffs at all, the G-Men will be facing a terribly dangerous team. The loss of Plaxico hurts almost every phase of their game. Their running game suffers as the defense can focus on it. Their special teams suffer because Hixon may not have the same explosiveness if he has to run patterns all game. Their defense even suffers as the Giants may not be able to sustain drives to keep them off the field.
Antonio Pierce too was victimized a few times in the Sunday contest against the Eagles. One wonders what kind of effect his legal troubles may be having. It can’t be good. As leader of the defense, he has to set an example for his defensive teammates, and that’s kind of difficult if he’s not making plays himself.
So the Giants don’t have the cakewalk they appeared to have just a couple of weeks ago. The Eagles exposed their vulnerabilities. Our G-Men looked all too beatable, almost as defeatable as those crazy Jets.
The Jets would appear to be a schizophrenic team, beating the Pats and Titans only to lose to the Broncos and Niners. A closer look, though, uncovers even more serious problems than that. They cannot stop the passing game of their opponents.
The Titans tried to stuff the ball down the Jets’ throats. Their running game was effectively bottled up, and they didn’t resort to passing until the game was out of hand. The Pats have been hurting all year, and, even with that, Matt Cassel rang them up for 400 yards passing, and the Jets escaped with a 34-31 win.
So both the local teams should have a very trying end of season. The G-Men may lose their home game throughout the playoffs. The Jets may not make them at all. If it comes down to coaching, you have to like the Giants’ chances.
They made Ronde Barber look like an old plodder, on both sides of the field, and, if the thought of retirement had never occurred to him before, I’m sure last night he may have had his first. Both these fine young Carolina running backs made cuts that shouldn’t even be possible at the speed they were going.
I never really like to get into stats, you can read that anywhere, but these two romped for an average of seven yards per carry. Both of them. Most of it was done on their own. But that, I think, may be the key to controlling them. Don’t let them be on their own. That they made it that far, one-on-one with only a scared cornerback between them and paydirt, was the big mistake.
Our Giants may have some trouble on their hands, even with a healthy Brandon Jacobs and a Plaxico look-alike who can actually catch the friggin’ football. Because, even if they take the measure of everyone else in the league, they’ll still probably find Carolina at the end of the line, that line that separates the also-ran from the Super Bowl.
But there is hope. The Giants front seven is tougher and faster than that of the Bucs. They should make it tougher to find a seam, or to get around the end. They have some pretty tough tacklers in the secondary too, but I wouldn’t want to see them put to the test.
The really scary thing about the Panthers is that they can pass the ball too. Even with a not totally healthy Jake Delhomme, that Delhomme to Steve Smith combination is tough, very tough, and they’ve connected way too many times for any team facing them to think that they could maybe put eight men in the box. Smith would certainly demand double coverage, practically all the time.
And, oh yeah, the Panthers play pretty good defense too. They have the freaky Julius Peppers to deal with on their defensive line, and the other guys are no picnic either. Their defense is kind of suspect, though, as a few teams have discovered this year, but only those teams with strong running games themselves, and teams that could stop the run.
I’m speaking of Minnesota, who held them to ten points in a 20-10 win, and Atlanta, when Michael Turner lit them up for four big touchdowns in a wild 45-28 win. Their other loss was to the same Tampa team they dismantled tonight. That game was in Tampa and they were held to three points. The Bucs held both Panther running backs to a little over two yards per carry in that one, and there just weren’t that many carries, as the Panthers fell behind and had to pass. Delhomme was intercepted three times in that endeavor.
So, the key to beating them would seem to be to take an early lead, pound the ball at their defense, and stop their running game early. The Giants should be capable of that, but only if Jacobs comes back healthy, and Hixon starts catching the ball. Aside from the “x” in both their names, there just doesn’t appear to be that much similarity in their games.
All of this, of course, is looking way ahead, even though there are only three games left. The G-Men have to face the surprisingly tough Cowboys this week, and the Boyz may find the G-Men a soft touch after having to face the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Romo was running for his life most of the time, and I just haven’t seen that kind of pressure exerted by the Giants this year.
As the Cowboys have to win out to make the playoffs at all, the G-Men will be facing a terribly dangerous team. The loss of Plaxico hurts almost every phase of their game. Their running game suffers as the defense can focus on it. Their special teams suffer because Hixon may not have the same explosiveness if he has to run patterns all game. Their defense even suffers as the Giants may not be able to sustain drives to keep them off the field.
Antonio Pierce too was victimized a few times in the Sunday contest against the Eagles. One wonders what kind of effect his legal troubles may be having. It can’t be good. As leader of the defense, he has to set an example for his defensive teammates, and that’s kind of difficult if he’s not making plays himself.
So the Giants don’t have the cakewalk they appeared to have just a couple of weeks ago. The Eagles exposed their vulnerabilities. Our G-Men looked all too beatable, almost as defeatable as those crazy Jets.
The Jets would appear to be a schizophrenic team, beating the Pats and Titans only to lose to the Broncos and Niners. A closer look, though, uncovers even more serious problems than that. They cannot stop the passing game of their opponents.
The Titans tried to stuff the ball down the Jets’ throats. Their running game was effectively bottled up, and they didn’t resort to passing until the game was out of hand. The Pats have been hurting all year, and, even with that, Matt Cassel rang them up for 400 yards passing, and the Jets escaped with a 34-31 win.
So both the local teams should have a very trying end of season. The G-Men may lose their home game throughout the playoffs. The Jets may not make them at all. If it comes down to coaching, you have to like the Giants’ chances.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Cuffed Hands, Hired Hands, All Hands on Deck!
If there’s anything I care less about than Rutgers football, it would have to be a Thursday night NFL matchup between the Oakland Raiders and anyone. If the powers that be were doing their best to try to turn football fans away, they couldn’t possibly pick worse games to televise.
I mean, gimme a break. Even before the season, somebody should have figured out that the Raiders couldn’t match up with any NFL team, never mind one that, by rights, should have been contending for the AFC Championship.
Oh well, at least it wasn’t an all-night discussion about Plaxico. Or who may have driven him home, or to the hospital, or concealed information from the police. At least I didn’t have to see any more of the biggest Fascist of them all, the too honorable Mayor Bloomberg, chip in with his two cents.
What’s scary to me is that incredibly rich and powerful people can say anything they want and get away with it. That the Mayor of New York can pretty much call the shots, and let any judge within the confines of his city know that the Mayor won’t settle for anything less than a conviction, that he won’t stand for anything less than the maximum sentence.
To me, that’s a much worse offense than shooting yourself in the leg accidentally. Plax’s offense is something that only happens to stupid people. It’s pretty much confined to those brazen enough, or insecure enough, to carry loaded guns around. What the mayor’s doing could be perpetrated on anyone.
He’s tried the case in his mind and he knows what the outcome had better be. He dictated the ending. Hell, not just the ending but pretty much the process too. I’m sure Plax’s life will be hell for a long, long, time and only the lawyers will be the happier for it.
At this point, I’d rather they throw the Mayor’s butt in jail. The charge could be obstruction of justice, or bribing an official of the city government. To me, New York deserves a classier mayor than this small-time Hitler. This is the same guy who had no problem with the sweet stadium deals both the Mets and Yankees perpetrated on the City.
Not that I care that much about Plaxico personally. He could have shot somebody, especially carrying heat in a crowded environment. But I don’t know the facts, really, nor does anyone, not really. That’s what trials are for.
Okay, enough about Benito Bloomberg. I’m glad I don’t live in his city. We have our own problems here in New Jersey, and not the least is Governor Corzine and his band of crooked legislators, corporate lenders, tax leviers and toll increasers.
I really did mean to write about sports today….. honest. I’ll be getting to it soon, I’m sure, but my little diatribe certainly has made me feel a little better, almost as good as that nice warm feeling I got from the news that O.J. Simpson would finally be spending some time in the slammer.
The Giants will be playing the Eagles again. It seems as if they play them every other week. With just 16 total games on the regular season schedule, it seems a little ridiculous to me that we have to play division opponents twice each. This division just isn’t that exciting…. the Redskins, the Eagles and, thank God, the Cowboys.
Even though it’s totally absurd that a Dallas team could finagle its way into the NFC East, and it’s a tribute to the corruption in the NFL, I thank my lucky stars that they’re a good team, and an interesting one too. The Eagles and Redskins just aren’t. Sure…they’ll win their share of games but it will be boring. Clinton Portis and a cloud of dust for the Skins; for the Eagles, Number 5 and DeSean Jackson and…..well, really nobody else.
At any rate, I expect the Giants will rise above all the stupidity this week and put a beating on the Eagles. If they’re still able to get their practices in, they should win the game. These are high-character guys, guys who bring their game each week, or try anyway.
The same, alas, cannot be said for the Jets. The Jets hired hands travel to San Francisco to play the suddenly Singletary-enlivened 49ers. The Jets don’t travel well, at least not to the West Coast. They managed to lose to the same team, Oakland, that got pummeled by the Chargers last night.
The hired hands have agreed, it seems, to play hard this time out, after their pitiful performance against the Broncos last week. Kris Jenkins, at least, has acknowledged maybe a lack of intensity in that loss that probably contributed a great deal to their failure to stop the Broncos running game.
Favre seemed to acknowledge the same thing, albeit in many more words. Hopefully, he’ll save some of those words for the Jets huddle this week. The 49ers are certainly beatable. But the Jets will have to stop the run, something they’re pretty good at doing ordinarily. They’re not so good against the pass, but the Niners don’t bring that much to that phase of their game.
My attention will be focused on the Cowboys-Steelers game. That one should be a real struggle, not really a Dallas “must” win, but close enough, given the rest of their schedule. It’ll be the tough Cowboys offensive line against the relentless Steelers defense, and conversely, a more determined Cowboys defense against a Steelers offense that hasn’t really knocked anyone’s socks off all year, discounting their man-handling of the Pats last week in New England.
The Steelers have lost three times, and once each to the NFC East G-Men and the Eagles. It’d be nice to make it an NFC East clean sweep. Whatever happens in this one, it’ll be a war. Demarcus Ware and Marion Barber are hurt, but it’ll be all hands on deck!
I mean, gimme a break. Even before the season, somebody should have figured out that the Raiders couldn’t match up with any NFL team, never mind one that, by rights, should have been contending for the AFC Championship.
Oh well, at least it wasn’t an all-night discussion about Plaxico. Or who may have driven him home, or to the hospital, or concealed information from the police. At least I didn’t have to see any more of the biggest Fascist of them all, the too honorable Mayor Bloomberg, chip in with his two cents.
What’s scary to me is that incredibly rich and powerful people can say anything they want and get away with it. That the Mayor of New York can pretty much call the shots, and let any judge within the confines of his city know that the Mayor won’t settle for anything less than a conviction, that he won’t stand for anything less than the maximum sentence.
To me, that’s a much worse offense than shooting yourself in the leg accidentally. Plax’s offense is something that only happens to stupid people. It’s pretty much confined to those brazen enough, or insecure enough, to carry loaded guns around. What the mayor’s doing could be perpetrated on anyone.
He’s tried the case in his mind and he knows what the outcome had better be. He dictated the ending. Hell, not just the ending but pretty much the process too. I’m sure Plax’s life will be hell for a long, long, time and only the lawyers will be the happier for it.
At this point, I’d rather they throw the Mayor’s butt in jail. The charge could be obstruction of justice, or bribing an official of the city government. To me, New York deserves a classier mayor than this small-time Hitler. This is the same guy who had no problem with the sweet stadium deals both the Mets and Yankees perpetrated on the City.
Not that I care that much about Plaxico personally. He could have shot somebody, especially carrying heat in a crowded environment. But I don’t know the facts, really, nor does anyone, not really. That’s what trials are for.
Okay, enough about Benito Bloomberg. I’m glad I don’t live in his city. We have our own problems here in New Jersey, and not the least is Governor Corzine and his band of crooked legislators, corporate lenders, tax leviers and toll increasers.
I really did mean to write about sports today….. honest. I’ll be getting to it soon, I’m sure, but my little diatribe certainly has made me feel a little better, almost as good as that nice warm feeling I got from the news that O.J. Simpson would finally be spending some time in the slammer.
The Giants will be playing the Eagles again. It seems as if they play them every other week. With just 16 total games on the regular season schedule, it seems a little ridiculous to me that we have to play division opponents twice each. This division just isn’t that exciting…. the Redskins, the Eagles and, thank God, the Cowboys.
Even though it’s totally absurd that a Dallas team could finagle its way into the NFC East, and it’s a tribute to the corruption in the NFL, I thank my lucky stars that they’re a good team, and an interesting one too. The Eagles and Redskins just aren’t. Sure…they’ll win their share of games but it will be boring. Clinton Portis and a cloud of dust for the Skins; for the Eagles, Number 5 and DeSean Jackson and…..well, really nobody else.
At any rate, I expect the Giants will rise above all the stupidity this week and put a beating on the Eagles. If they’re still able to get their practices in, they should win the game. These are high-character guys, guys who bring their game each week, or try anyway.
The same, alas, cannot be said for the Jets. The Jets hired hands travel to San Francisco to play the suddenly Singletary-enlivened 49ers. The Jets don’t travel well, at least not to the West Coast. They managed to lose to the same team, Oakland, that got pummeled by the Chargers last night.
The hired hands have agreed, it seems, to play hard this time out, after their pitiful performance against the Broncos last week. Kris Jenkins, at least, has acknowledged maybe a lack of intensity in that loss that probably contributed a great deal to their failure to stop the Broncos running game.
Favre seemed to acknowledge the same thing, albeit in many more words. Hopefully, he’ll save some of those words for the Jets huddle this week. The 49ers are certainly beatable. But the Jets will have to stop the run, something they’re pretty good at doing ordinarily. They’re not so good against the pass, but the Niners don’t bring that much to that phase of their game.
My attention will be focused on the Cowboys-Steelers game. That one should be a real struggle, not really a Dallas “must” win, but close enough, given the rest of their schedule. It’ll be the tough Cowboys offensive line against the relentless Steelers defense, and conversely, a more determined Cowboys defense against a Steelers offense that hasn’t really knocked anyone’s socks off all year, discounting their man-handling of the Pats last week in New England.
The Steelers have lost three times, and once each to the NFC East G-Men and the Eagles. It’d be nice to make it an NFC East clean sweep. Whatever happens in this one, it’ll be a war. Demarcus Ware and Marion Barber are hurt, but it’ll be all hands on deck!
Monday, December 1, 2008
NY Super Bowl My Butt
Thank God the Jets lost to the lowly Broncos yesterday. I was getting a little tired of the all-New York Super Bowl hype I’d been hearing all week ad nauseum. The Jets don’t have the character of a true Super Bowl team as they proved yesterday.
Think of the last few Super Bowl teams. New England, Indianapolis, and our own Giants. QB’s…Brady, Peyton, Eli…..Coaches….Belichick, Dungy, Coughlin. I could go on, traversing every position on the field but the Jets just don’t measure up to those Super Bowl teams.
Not to be unkind but the Jets succumbed to the theories of their own greatness. After beating the Pats and then the Titans, they really thought they were hot. It didn’t occur to them, maybe, that the Broncos were a totally different team, a team with a real live passing game.
It didn’t occur to them that there may have been a big difference from Titans QB Kerry Collins to Broncos QB Jay Cutler. All the way down their respective rosters, the Broncos are superior to the Titans. The Titans are just a running team. Stop the run and you stop the Titans.
The Jets weren’t prepared for any adversity on Sunday. You could tell that from the opening kickoff to the final gun. It was cold and rainy too, and Favre just really wasn’t interested. After all, who would notice a clunker thrown in on the last Sunday in November? It wasn’t a team in the AFC East, they had a cushion in the East on the Pats and the Dolphins, it was time to coast past the Broncos.
Surely, they thought, we could stop their running game. Surely, then they would stop the pass. Well, it didn’t turn out that way, of course, but the Jets didn’t react, even after it became quite apparent that the Broncos weren’t going to be content with just holding the lead in the AFC West. They wouldn’t be making any turnovers this day.
The Jets just weren’t prepared to play. I don’t put the blame on Mangini, although he can’t be held blameless. The same goes for Favre who was pretty dreadful in the rain yesterday. It’s a team responsibility, heart. The Giants have it, clearly. The Steelers have it, the Chargers don’t have it, the Jets don’t have it.
I wouldn’t even mind if the Jets had come back. But they didn’t. They were content to tuck their tails between their knees and go home. They are a seriously-flawed team, not from a talent perspective as from a character point of view.
Chad Pennington, I might add, did not have a character problem and still doesn’t, as evidenced by his bringing the Dolphins back to respectability. His Jets played with a lot of heart but they didn’t have the talent in his time. Now, they clearly have the talent but not the heart. A large part of the heart got shipped to Miami.
You see the lack of character all over the NFL. Plax’s gun incident is a very clear example. How easy it is for a man to go from the heights to the depths when he is conspicuously lacking character. All those physical attributes that make him such a talent on the football field couldn’t save him from the debacle that will be his life from here on.
It’s a good thing that Burress has been such a small part of the Giants’ success this year. The team seems to be carrying on without missing a beat. The beat goes on and it will go on without Burress. But it may not go on against the best teams in the NFL, a team that has a balanced offense and defense, a team such as the Pats were last year before they were beaten by the Giants with Burress.
Is there a team though that meets those qualifications this year? In either the AFC or NFC? I don’t think so.
You could possibly make a case for the Steelers. They have Ben Roethlisberger at QB, and some talent at the receiver position. They have a formidable defense too, and, in the person of Troy Polamalu, they have the most talented player in either league. They can run the ball too, but not as well as a Super Bowl team should. Their offensive line doesn’t seem strong enough to support either part of their overall offense.
Their potential to fulfill that Super Bowl contender position will be seriously challenged next Sunday when the Cowboys come to town. The Cowboys have Romo back, and he does not seem to be the Romo of last year, not from the perspective of character.
Romo seems to have grown into a leader this year, his injury and the subsequent Cowboys demise seems to have challenged his whole being, and his performance in the games since his injury seems to bear that out. He is one of those players who can make everyone around him better, at least this year.
The Colts have always been a team with character. They were hit hard by injuries this year, and seem to be a little slow in coming back from them. Their performance against the Browns yesterday wasn’t that of a playoffs contender though, unless it was the Browns that made them look bad, a Browns team that seems to lift its game against better opponents, as evidenced by their victory over the G-Men this year.
Who else is there? There are Carolina and the Bucs in the AFC, the Panthers with conspicuous talent on both sides of the ball. But I don’t think Carolina has the heart. They are a team much like the Jets. The Bucs may have the character but not as much talent as is required to reach the heights, at least on the offensive side of things.
A team that turned in that performance against the Broncos yesterday could never reach the Super Bowl. Forget about it. They probably already have.
Think of the last few Super Bowl teams. New England, Indianapolis, and our own Giants. QB’s…Brady, Peyton, Eli…..Coaches….Belichick, Dungy, Coughlin. I could go on, traversing every position on the field but the Jets just don’t measure up to those Super Bowl teams.
Not to be unkind but the Jets succumbed to the theories of their own greatness. After beating the Pats and then the Titans, they really thought they were hot. It didn’t occur to them, maybe, that the Broncos were a totally different team, a team with a real live passing game.
It didn’t occur to them that there may have been a big difference from Titans QB Kerry Collins to Broncos QB Jay Cutler. All the way down their respective rosters, the Broncos are superior to the Titans. The Titans are just a running team. Stop the run and you stop the Titans.
The Jets weren’t prepared for any adversity on Sunday. You could tell that from the opening kickoff to the final gun. It was cold and rainy too, and Favre just really wasn’t interested. After all, who would notice a clunker thrown in on the last Sunday in November? It wasn’t a team in the AFC East, they had a cushion in the East on the Pats and the Dolphins, it was time to coast past the Broncos.
Surely, they thought, we could stop their running game. Surely, then they would stop the pass. Well, it didn’t turn out that way, of course, but the Jets didn’t react, even after it became quite apparent that the Broncos weren’t going to be content with just holding the lead in the AFC West. They wouldn’t be making any turnovers this day.
The Jets just weren’t prepared to play. I don’t put the blame on Mangini, although he can’t be held blameless. The same goes for Favre who was pretty dreadful in the rain yesterday. It’s a team responsibility, heart. The Giants have it, clearly. The Steelers have it, the Chargers don’t have it, the Jets don’t have it.
I wouldn’t even mind if the Jets had come back. But they didn’t. They were content to tuck their tails between their knees and go home. They are a seriously-flawed team, not from a talent perspective as from a character point of view.
Chad Pennington, I might add, did not have a character problem and still doesn’t, as evidenced by his bringing the Dolphins back to respectability. His Jets played with a lot of heart but they didn’t have the talent in his time. Now, they clearly have the talent but not the heart. A large part of the heart got shipped to Miami.
You see the lack of character all over the NFL. Plax’s gun incident is a very clear example. How easy it is for a man to go from the heights to the depths when he is conspicuously lacking character. All those physical attributes that make him such a talent on the football field couldn’t save him from the debacle that will be his life from here on.
It’s a good thing that Burress has been such a small part of the Giants’ success this year. The team seems to be carrying on without missing a beat. The beat goes on and it will go on without Burress. But it may not go on against the best teams in the NFL, a team that has a balanced offense and defense, a team such as the Pats were last year before they were beaten by the Giants with Burress.
Is there a team though that meets those qualifications this year? In either the AFC or NFC? I don’t think so.
You could possibly make a case for the Steelers. They have Ben Roethlisberger at QB, and some talent at the receiver position. They have a formidable defense too, and, in the person of Troy Polamalu, they have the most talented player in either league. They can run the ball too, but not as well as a Super Bowl team should. Their offensive line doesn’t seem strong enough to support either part of their overall offense.
Their potential to fulfill that Super Bowl contender position will be seriously challenged next Sunday when the Cowboys come to town. The Cowboys have Romo back, and he does not seem to be the Romo of last year, not from the perspective of character.
Romo seems to have grown into a leader this year, his injury and the subsequent Cowboys demise seems to have challenged his whole being, and his performance in the games since his injury seems to bear that out. He is one of those players who can make everyone around him better, at least this year.
The Colts have always been a team with character. They were hit hard by injuries this year, and seem to be a little slow in coming back from them. Their performance against the Browns yesterday wasn’t that of a playoffs contender though, unless it was the Browns that made them look bad, a Browns team that seems to lift its game against better opponents, as evidenced by their victory over the G-Men this year.
Who else is there? There are Carolina and the Bucs in the AFC, the Panthers with conspicuous talent on both sides of the ball. But I don’t think Carolina has the heart. They are a team much like the Jets. The Bucs may have the character but not as much talent as is required to reach the heights, at least on the offensive side of things.
A team that turned in that performance against the Broncos yesterday could never reach the Super Bowl. Forget about it. They probably already have.
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